Today we celebrate the memorial of Saint Mary Ann de Paredes, Patron Saint of Ecuador, Americas, against bodily ills or sickness, Sick people, against the loss of parents, and People rejected by religious orders.

Mary Ann, or Mariana De Paredes as was her name, was born to a noble family; during her infancy, her parents died, and she was cared for by her sister and her sister’s husband.

Mariana drew interest in living a holy life. She committed to living a simple, chaste, and obedient life. She decided against pursuing her dream of becoming a Dominican nun and lived alone at her sister’s house.

Apart from attending church services, she never left her house. Mariana resorted to self-mortification and got little sleep. With just a tiny piece of bread and the Holy Communion, which she received every day during mass, she could go eight to 10 days without eating.

Mariana received various abilities from God, including the ability to read people’s hearts, prophesy, and heal by making the Sign of the Cross or dousing with holy water. A dead person was once brought back to life by her.

Several earthquakes and various epidemics struck Quito, Ecuador, in 1645. Mariana died soon after openly offering herself as a victim for the city. A pure white flower grew and bloomed at the site of her death. She was named a national hero by the Republic of Ecuador several years later.

Source: catholicreadings.org